SOCIAL SPACE / LENTAL / MEETUP

■　Local hubs for workshops, classes and community activities to promote Kyoto's local attractions

Kyoto Laundry Cafe is a 5-minute walk from Saiin Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line and Randen Line, and is located along the Randen railway line. The Saiin area is home to a wide range of generations, from the young people who live in the student town of Kyoto to those raising children and those who have lived here for generations. In recent years, amid calls for a 'diversified society' and social fragmentation, the Laundry Cafe has been developing its business as a base for 'blending communities', connecting and fusing people from a variety of angles since its establishment in March 2019. In addition to coin-operated laundries, food and beverage, rental space and kitchens, and shared house operations, by 2022 we will be developing local web media and business, providing a place where people in the city can 'discover, connect and further expand their circle'.

■　Third-place possibilities in laundries

Laundromats use fully automatic washing machines to take over the household chore of washing and drying clothes. In the past, laundries were mostly used as a substitute for households without a washing machine, especially for single people, or when a washing machine is not available for temporary reasons. However, the purpose of use is now expanding to include washing large items such as bedding and sheets, which are difficult to wash at home, and preventing mould and bacteria during the rainy season. Furthermore, the purposes for which laundries are used are changing, as they play a role in shortening and reducing the burden of housework as more women enter the workforce and the number of elderly people increases. We want laundromats to become 'another place in town' for local residents of all ages, genders, professions and nationalities, as well as providing services that meet these purposes. With this in mind, a café has been set up alongside the laundrette space. While the washing machines are running, people can relax a little with a good cup of coffee. Providing a time and space where local people can relax was the 'first step' in our challenge.

■　Wash and clean. Eat clean. Clean to play in

The Laundromat with Cafe is also a challenge to create a place for local people. The encounter between the shop and people, including customers, leads to further encounters with other people, and this 'cycle of once-in-a-lifetime encounters' is the cycle of excitement. As a base for this, we have expanded the scope of our business through various projects, including events derived from our food and beverage business, so that the café space can be used socially.

Projects using the café space include the Laundry Marche, which creates a meeting place for local organisations and business owners (companies and individuals), the Foreign Language Café, where you can learn three languages (English, Chinese and Korean) on a conversational basis, the Meet Up Party, an English conversation international exchange event held every Sunday, seasonal " We organise a wide range of events for local residents to enjoy, from regular events to seasonal events, such as the Halloween Party and Christmas Party.

What is important to us in planning and running events is the 'connection' aspect. For example, the Laundry Marche acts as a 'people-meeting device' and allows people to open booths for free. On top of that, stalls are limited to one per organisation. The idea is that by opening a different booth each time, unique encounters can be made here and positive communication can occur. In addition, the Saiin area is characterised by a large number of settled foreigners. To make use of this local character, the Foreign Language Café asks 'Machibito', i.e. foreign residents, to act as lecturers.

■Shared kitchen

In 2020, a new coronavirus pandemic occurred. With the rapid spread of 'home time', 'remote drinking', 'food delivery services' and 'take-out', society has come to expect less 'close' communication. As a restaurant operator, we too asked ourselves what that should be, and started the community restaurant 'Share Kitchen' business as a new challenge for restaurants that have their own space. This initiative allows anyone in town to use our kitchen for a day and become a café owner. As it is possible to easily run an original eatery, regardless of genre or the owner's background, it has created connections between owners and local people with a variety of ideas.

We will continue to support owners and organisations that are involved in diverse food-related initiatives, such as the additive-free delicatessen café 'TAMA no Gohan' and 'rahmerc.co', which offers vegan lunches, and others who have faced various food-related thoughts and social issues, through the place called 'Kitchen'. We would like to continue to support owners and organisations involved in a variety of food-related initiatives through the Kitchen.

■　Adding value to the 'usual places' of our neighbours

We will create a new 'place to be' by adding the essence of 'fun', 'excitement' and 'friends' to the existing concept of a laundromat. Our business concept is to provide value so that people living in the area can love the area even more. We want to do interesting things, we want to love this region more, and we want to be the kind of shop that people in need can run to. If we can achieve this, we are willing to take on businesses that don't exist in the world.

Owner Rie was born and raised in Kyoto as a third-generation zainichi Korean. After graduating from Ritsumeikan University, she moved to her roots in South Korea, where she worked in advertising sales. When she returned to Japan and set up her business from scratch, she strongly wanted to do something interesting in the city where she was born and raised and make the local people happy. Age, gender, hobbies, nationality… the "place to be" that breaks the boundaries of such categories and blends a diverse range of people was born out of the owner's desire to do so.

The majority of the events and initiatives that attract visitors and the people who take part in them are the result of 'karma', so to speak, born out of conversations in the shop. 'Do you live in this area?' What kind of activities do you do?" If you need space, why don't you use our space?" Can we set up a booth at the Marché?" Through such natural communication, we have been able to help people with their problems and take on new challenges, which has led to the creation of many relationships between people.

And that communication creates a cycle of new challenges. The "share house and co-working space business", which rents out DIY space in a property in Mibu, has become a place for students who have not been attending school and a second third place for young people in the area, as well as being used as a meeting room by groups mainly comprising young people. In addition to various projects and events such as "independent film cafés" and "salsa dance parties", it has also set up a local web media "Choichoi Club" in Chukyo Ward and is actively working to create a "once in a lifetime" community, not only offline but also online.

■To follow through on our commitment to not being obsessive

Let's make it a restaurant where when you step into the shop, you don't hear… 'Welcome'. Our shop has several policies that are a little surprising. That's because we want the shop and our customers to be equal. This is because we believe that in order to create a chain of connections between diverse customers regardless of age, gender, nationality, etc., there should be no superiority or inferiority between the shop and the customer. Instead of posting a sign asking customers not to do something in the shop, we place the utmost importance on detailed communication, looking people in the eye, talking to them and making sure they are satisfied, thus creating a space where people can feel at ease with each other.

■「# We love excitement 」

During the Christmas season, we decorate a large tree in the shop. The name of the tree is "Tree Decorated by Everyone". At first it is just a fir tree with no decorations, but as Christmas approaches, we gradually add more and more decorations. Not only customers, but also various people on their way to work, school or school, elderly people at care facilities passing by, couples on a date, pets and children on a walk, share the excitement of Christmas in a carefree way through the tree in the shop. We often support activities other than our main business at the Share Kitchen and Laundry Marche, and the ease of the space where people can bring a little of what they think is fun, try it out and challenge themselves is also a feature of our shop.

People with various backbones intersect and mix with each other like a thin marble,

A community where people from different backgrounds cross paths and mix together like a thin marble.

Please drop in only when you feel excited.

There is such a place in the west of Kyoto.

Please, come anytime.